L"Mercy, I think you should wake up now. I would like to speak with you about this once. Don't waste much of our time." The voice of the woman he had known for ages broke his little nap; his eyes opened into the dark world around him.
"Get up, Mercy." Alsana gently helped him sit right. Mercy looked around him to see that the two were sitting on the bed, and there was only darkness surrounding the two of them. The bed sheets were nearly red from the blood.
"How did I get here? I think the sleep definitely hazed my memory." Mercy saw his own body covered in dressings and bandages to cover his wounds. Those two were completely blooded.
"You had deactivated your powers and were lured into a thin, narrow street by those kids giving you the tour; after that, those boys walking in the street began stabbing you with their knives. You took a few stabs to your chests. Before..."
Alsana brought forward her hand and touched Mercy's wounds, then she began rubbing her hand across his chest with feeling, each wound with deep curiosity. Mercy grabbed her hand using his.
"You seem way too lost in these scars. Something on your mind?"
"For centuries, we have been together. We fought dragons, underworld kingdoms of the lava lands, and discovered the treasures of the deep sea, and the first time I saw you faint from a wound was from some stabs by a knife from normal humans. What kind of irony is this?" There was a small smile on Alsana's face.
"This still makes me happy, though, that even you can bleed and faint like mortals. I sometimes forget that you are a creature of nature, not a god."
That gave Mercy a good chuckle. He let go of Alsana's hand and began touching his wounds himself. The pain came to him as he touched himself; his arms and body felt a bit weak and difficult to move. It was something of a bittersweet experience; Alsana smiled seeing Mercy share her feelings.
"I wanted to heal these wounds instantly, but your words are swaying me to live with the pain. I think I also forgot that I was human; maybe this will serve as a good lesson. Anyways, continue the story. What happened after that? Did Dia Mantha come to save me?"
"How come you know everything? Was this entire thing a part of your plan too?"
"No, I just had a hunch that she would come to save me if I let myself get stabbed; it meant that she was keeping an eye on me, and I could confirm how her powers work. Maybe I got a hint about that."
"What a genius mastermind you are, Mercy Unsborn. Maybe you should've used more of this mind while making the team you wanted to send to the labyrinth."
"Why are you here to meet me anyway, Alsana? Did something wrong happen on Sera's side?"
"No, but things aren't going too well for that side; they aren't working like a family, fighting more often than talking. They want to establish themselves on the top and keep arguing about it; the only thing that keeps them together is the fear they have for you. Except that, I don't think they will ever hold together."
Mercy sighs in response to the information: "I didn't think I would fail this badly. I thought they could form a family, but it seems that has failed. Are they leaving for the labyrinth, or will they separate even before that?" Mercy reclines on the bed, thinking about what to do next.
"How is the blood transfusion going? I hope that side is holding well. If they don't drink the blood properly or refuse to train, I might need to return and take some strict measures. Time is of the essence here; time is ticking."
"You forget those the people you're dealing with, not expectation of the nature. You and I are different from those who live in the world normally; we have seen this world far longer than anyone else. You can't expect someone so young and naive to mature so suddenly. I believe we can only hope they figure this out."
"Time is something I wish I could control; I never should've slept, and this world would've been better than the absolute broken world that is crumbling on itself. Time is running out for all of us. We all need to play a role to save this world from the future that comes." Mercy's wounds began healing themselves, and his body was as if untouched by anyone.
"Sera's other half hasn't shown up once again; it went to help Arya once again. I think she might be our ally after all..."
"But you can't stand the feeling that your daughter's body is inhabited by another soul. I think I can understand that feeling after spending some time with my niece." Alsana's eyes were wet with tears that didn't fall.
"I will investigate what is going on in this world. You just care about Sera and Arya; the rest of them are expendable if circumstances call for it. Proceed with caution, Alsana. Lucifer is always watching and plotting; his claws have reached the surface. I will find where the gates will form."
Those were the parting words that changed the mood of the conversation. The tears in Alsana's eyes went away in flames, and the emotions of love changed in caution. There it was, something each of us feared and had to inevitably fight, the power of the Morningstar.
The image of Alsana vaporised along with the dark around the surroundings. The little dream and chatter had ended, and he was off to his task.
"..."
Mercy's eyes finally opened to the bright lamp that was shining light on him. His eyes pinched from the sharp light into his eyes, he looked at the stone wall on the other side, which had a large shadow cast over it.
"So, you have awoken."
"??!!"
Piercing the air, a blade came flying towards Mercy's chest. He moved how his instincts told him. He tried to slide away from the blade, but another hand grabbed him by the throat and stopped him from moving. There was no chance of struggling; the blade was faster than his body, but the blade stopped before his chest.
"You don't move at the rate at which your illusion magic enters the mind. For a second, I had already stabbed you, but now you are living, and my blade still hasn't touched you." Dia Mantha held her grip on Mercy's throat tight.
"Let go of me."
"Not before you tell me about your relation to Wind Serpent Alsana."
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"The Gates of Hell will open and my powers will reach beyond my realm. Your time is running out, Mercy Unsborn. " Lucifer Morningstar sat on his throne of Ice with a glass of wine in one hand and the skull of some human warlord who had asked for his powers before dying.
"But first, I need to deal with your niece. I think I need hire some mercenary for this task. " Time was moving and Lucifer's claws were reaching closer and closer.